Promise Neighborhoods Convene to Share and Learn

I was truly inspired by the peer–to-peer learning that quickly developed into the pervasive spirit of this year’s Promise Neighborhoods Directors Meeting. Our annual convening on June 13-14 brought together more than 250 administrators, evaluators, and practitioners to strengthen relationships, forge new ties, and expand our knowledge of how to truly construct a cradle-to-career promise in our communities. Peers shared tips on how to effectively administer the program, apply solutions to nagging community challenges, and effectively use their data to drive results.

The meeting opened with a warm introduction from Anna Hinton, director of Parental Options and Information here at the Department of Education. Anna gave an overview of the portfolio and highlighted some of the critical issues facing Promise Neighborhoods that peers would tackle together throughout the conference. Anna was then joined by Michael McAfee, senior director at the Promise Neighborhoods Institute (PNI). Michael touched on the role of PNI in assisting the grantees with reporting on data outcomes and PNI’s role in supporting the grantees’ solutions in the field.